Something different for Ms. Cornwell. I didn't feel the intensity of her Scarpetta books, but was a mildly entertaining, humorous story. It's not up to the stature of Hiaasen, but leans in that direction. But then, Hiaasen writes about Florida, not North Carolina and since I live in Florida, I can tell you, he's "write on".

I think someone should get some samples of her tobacco and submit them to the lab.

Oh, I disliked this Cornwell book intensely. Even listening to this on tape was a struggle. It seemed to drag on and on with long ramblings by the writer policeman, then more long ramblings by the island townspeople...all barely interesting stuff. The characters were not engaging either. Wow! As a Cornwell fan, I'm certainly not deviating from her Kay Scarpetta stories in future. This was awful!

Not a Kay Scarpetta novel, but nearly as good! A glimpse into the internal workings of state government, and the crimes men (and women) hide... Cornwell is an excellent author, and this proves the work that is "average" for her - is better than most authors on their best days!

Patricia Cornwell struck out big time with this book. It should have been classified as science fiction and slow, slow moving. It was a waste of my eyesight, time and brains to read. I found it most frustrating as I hate to start and not finish a good book. I kept thinking this has got to get better. Alas and alac, only worse.

I LOVE Patricia Cornwell; but this book is not up to her usual excellence and was disappointing; Her Kay Scarpetta characters are superb and I wish she would write more faster! I have read all of them; flo s.

The govenor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways, and warns that speeders will be caught by aircraft flying overhead. But the eccentric of Tangier, fourteen miles off the coast of Virginai in Chesapeake bay, responds declaring war on its own state.

A Patricia Cornwell book, abridged audio book narrated by Becky Ann Baker. Kay Scarpetta has a very minor role in the humorous mystery. The main characters are Trooper Andy Brazil (who writes a clandestine column called 'Trooper Truth') and his boss Judy Hammer, a newly installed superintendent of the Virginia state Police. I enjoyed listening to the 6 hours while riding to and from upper WI to home. It sure made the time and trip fly.

The Andy Brazil books by Patricia Cornwell, as a whole, haven't had the best reviews. I do really like Patricia's style of writing though, and even though this was quite different from the Scarpetta series, I did enjoy the read. It includes an alternate version of the infamous pirate Anne Bonny, which by chance I ended up watching the more accepted version on a PBS show the day after finishing this book. All in all a decent read.

Judy Hammer, newly installed as the superintendent of Virginia State Police, and Andy Brazil, state trooper and Hammer's right-hand confidant, find themselves at their wits' end as they try to protect the public from the politicians and vice versa in this pitch-perfect, darkly comic romp.

Chaos breaks loose when the Governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways, and warns that speeders will be caught by monitoring aircraft overhead. But the eccentric island of Tangier, fourteen miles off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, responds by declaring war on its own state.

I love Cornwell, but hated this book. Good for her for trying something new, but this direction just didn't work. Some of the book is written from the perspective of animals, from a dog to a trout. It just didn't work for me. Where is Scarpetta when you need her??

As tightly knit as her other works are, this one wandered all over the place - unable to make up its' mind whether to be comic, mysterious, thrilling. Frankly, it was so loose, for me, it was none of the above. BUT I really DO love all her Kay Scarpetta books!

Angered over the governor's order on speed traps, the eccentric inhabitants of the Isle of Tangier, off the coast of Virginia, declare war on their own state, and it is up to Judy Hammer, the new superintendent of the state police, to stop the crisis.

This was truly one of the worst books I have ever tried t read! I pushed myself thru about 3/4 of it and just couldn't finish. I am a fan of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series but this is a joke. Don't waste your time or money.

Chaos breaks loose when the governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways, and warns that speeders will be caught by monitoring aircraft flying overhead. But the eccentric island of Tangier, 14 miles off the coast of Virginia responds by declaring war on its own state. Judy Hammer, newly installed as superintendent of the State police and Andy Brazil, a state trooper, find themselves at their wits end as they try to protect the public from the politicians in this pitch perfect darkly comic romp.

From the inside cover**** Chaos breaks loose when the governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways and warns that speeders will be caught by monitoring aircraft flying overhead. But the eccentric island of Tangier, fourteen miles off the coast of Virgina in the Chesapeake Bay, responds by declaring war on its own state. Judy Hammer, newly installed as the superintendent of the virginia State Police, and Andy Brazil, a state trooper and Hammer's right hand and confidant, find themselves at their wits' end as they try to protect the public from the politicians and vice versa in this pitch-perfect, darkly comic romp.

chaos breaks lose when the governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways, and warns that speeders will be caught by monitoring aircraft flying overhead.Keeps you on the edge...until...

The whole romp probably should have stopped after the first chapter as the attempt at humor fell flat with me. The characters seemed to float in and out and change each time they found themselves on a different page. Her Scarpetta books of death and mystery are the top of the line and worth waiting for but this book belongs on the bottom of the heap. I kept hoping the action would pick up but between crabs and the Crimms nothing clicked or was worth the slog.

I love Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books, so I bought this thinking it would be just as good. I'm glad it was a "book on tape"...otherwise I never would have finished it. This was supposed to be her attempt at dark humor, but I did not find it so. It was just plain bad! The plot is thin, the characters washed out at best and horribly stereo-typed at worst. Ms. Cornwell seemed unable to decide if she wanted to write humor, a mystery, horror or fantasy and to be honest, she didn't do a very good job at any of the genres judging by this book. Ms. Hammer comes across as feeble, whiny and incompetent; the whole Andy Brazil as 'Trooper Truth' was patently ridiculous; a child could have guessed who it was from the get go. And the treatment of the Tangier Islanders was dreadful. Throughout the book I kept thinking....oh come on...how could everyone NOT know who Trooper Truth was?

So, basically this was about Chaos breaking loose when the governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be painted on all streets and highways, warning that speeders will be caught by monitoring aircraft flying overhead. But the eccentric Isle of Tangier, fourteen miles off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, responds by declaring war on its own state. Judy Hammer, newly installed as the superintendent of the Virginia State Police, and Andy Brazil, a state trooper and Hammer's right hand and confidant (Who is also Trooper Truth), trying to bring calm to Virginia and Tangier Island. The governer is being poisoned by his right hand man, who is also doing all kinds of illegal things and is actually a pirate himself. Trooper Truth figures things out from the beginning, but it is never written HOW he knows these things. But he reveals certain things about pirates, etc. in his online essays. Of course, EVERYONE is hooked on his Trooper Truth essays, so it causes lots of commotion.

I am all for humor in a book, but that never really comes through here. It just reads as confusing throughout and the the characters never mesh.